Tanner Houck pitched well, allowing three runs in six innings, and Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run homer to help the Boston Red Sox win 9-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night.
Jarren Duran hit two doubles and brought in two runs, while David Hamilton, Reese McGuire, Dominic Smith, and Emmanuel Valdez also contributed RBIs for Boston, who improved to a 35-34 record with the victory.
“We have a strong team,” manager Alex Cora stated. “We’ll win some games, lose some games. We show up every day to compete. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don’t. We’re getting healthier. We believe we can do more offensively.”
Houck, now 7-5, allowed eight hits, struck out five, and walked none, lowering his ERA to 2.08. This was his 12th start of going at least six innings out of 14.
“I take pride in lasting longer in games and keeping the team competitive,” said Houck. “Even when my performance isn’t perfect, going six innings against a strong team is something to be proud of.”
Kyle Schwarber drove in all three of Philadelphia’s runs. However, Phillies starter Aaron Nola (8-3) had a rough outing, giving up eight runs and 11 hits in just 3 2/3 innings.
“He made some mistakes with his pitches,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “It was one of those days.” Nola’s ERA rose from 2.77 to 3.48 after the game.
Valdez and McGuire hit back-to-back doubles in the second inning, leading to Boston’s first run. Nola struggled, giving up five straight hits in that inning, four of which were doubles. Duran’s second double brought in two runs, marking the fifth consecutive hit off Nola in the four-run second inning.
